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A major professional cycling event covering much of this province for six days next September was introduced yesterday by the Alberta Peloton Association.

Three Alberta cabinet ministers — Verlyn Olson, Christine Cusanelli and Heather Klimchuk — spoke in strong support of the project, known as the Tour of Alberta 2013.

One optimistic forecast suggested 300,000 spectators will line highways to watch the racers speed past and that “many millions” would be watching worldwide on television and the Internet.

Alex Stieda, the only Canadian ever to wear the yellow jersey as one-day leader of the Tour de France, said officials and board members have been working for about 15 months to make the dream a reality.

The government-controlled Rural Alberta Development Fund has granted $3.5 million in seed money, based on an anticipated financial impact of $30 million per year.

Things progressed so fast that six letters of initial support were received from communities and areas such as Red Deer, Rocky Mountain House and the Crowsnest Pass, but organizers have already been forced to notify some of the supporters their communities won’t be visited by racers in this first year.

Stieda was quick to recognize that it might be difficult for the public to fully embrace cycling, based on years of unpleasant realities about doping.

“We consider ourselves part of the new wave,” he said. “Now we have teams and individual cyclists standing up and waving their hands to say: ‘We’re clean and we’re staying clean.’ ”

Details on the full six-day route will be settled early in the new year, a joint Calgary-Edmonton news conference was told by chairman Duane Vienneau.

The race will begin in Edmonton on the day after Labour Day and end in Calgary six days later, with as many as 16 top international teams. Climbing will be a major a part of the race, which means the Kananaskis area is sure to be featured.

“We hope to make an arrangement with federal officials to use the national parks (Banff and Jasper) in future years,” Stieda added.

Pro cyclists coming to Alberta

A major professional cycling event covering much of this province for six days next September was introduced yesterday by the Alberta Peloton Association.

Three Alberta cabinet ministers — Verlyn Olson, Christine Cusanelli and Heather Klimchuk — spoke in strong support of the project, known as the Tour of Alberta 2013.

One optimistic forecast suggested 300,000 spectators will line highways to watch the racers speed past and that “many millions” would be watching worldwide on television and the Internet.

Alex Stieda, the only Canadian ever to wear the yellow jersey as one-day leader of the Tour de France, said officials and board members have been working for about 15 months to make the dream a reality.

The government-controlled Rural Alberta Development Fund has granted $3.5 million in seed money, based on an anticipated financial impact of $30 million per year.